In last week’s musings, I mentioned that 2nd Timothy 2:21 calls us “vessels of honour”
Click here if you missed that post, sis!
In light of the scripture above, it's something that we just tend to throw around as believers but I really wanted to know- What does it actually mean to be a vessel?
Here’s what I discovered:
Chile, this week has been a lot!
Like seriously…
Recently, I talked about the fact that faith increases our capacity to succeed
Click here if you missed that, sis!
But did you know that you have other capacities too?
For example:
A) Mental capacity
The ability to make your own decisions
B) Emotional capacity
The ability to overcome limiting beliefs, your ease in adapting to challenging situations, and the quality of your relationships
C) Physical capacity
The ability to perform a variety of physical tasks
In the wake of such trying times, we run the risk of running low in one or more of these capacities
Which will then have knock-on effects on our ability to walk in purpose because…
As the saying goes, “you can’t pour from an empty cup” and this is really clearly illustrated in 2nd Kings 4:1-7
in which the woman literally took empty vessels, poured oil into them until they were full and then distributed the oil for profit.
2nd Timothy 2:21 says that we are “vessels of honour” so, like the widow did with hers, we need to make sure to fill ourselves up before we pour out to others. Here are 20 ways that I have been doing that this week:
Apart from the typical advice of praying and reading the Bible, in between, work, I have been doing one or more of the following each day:
Last week we talked about 3 disempowering life and business beliefs
Remember that, sis?
As we stand at the beginning of a new year, I think it’s important that we discuss how to make it a success
If you’re anything like me, you’ve entered this year with a set of goals and things that you would like to achieve
Here are 4 lessons that we can learn from the widow in 2nd Kings 4:1-7 about how we can do that:
Last week, we talked about how to increase our capacity to succeed and the vital role that faith plays in allowing us to do this
Because:
Faith increases our capacity to receive from God,
The bigger your life, business or visibility goals- the bigger your faith will need to be
If that’s true, it follows that lack of faith decreases our capacity to succeed.
The most obvious way that lack of faith shows up is through unbelief or lack of faith in God.
According to The Parable of the sower, this usually happens because of “the cares of the world” (Matthew 13:22).
For the widow in 2nd Kings 4:1-7, it would have been easy- even expected- for her to lose faith in God
I mean, not only had her husband died- he left her with huge debt and creditors ready to make her sons slaves if she was unable to pay it off!
But she didn’t…
When you hear the word “faith,” sis, what comes to mind?
Is it the many sayings and adages about it?
Like:
Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things unseen (Hebrews 11:1)
Faith is the currency of heaven
Faith is the bridge between your current circumstances and your future
Whilst I don’t dispute them, there is another side to the nature of faith…
Through their video, “If Cinderella were a Guy,” Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo (of Rebelgirls.co) highlight the fact that women are impacted by misogyny as early as childhood
Which, to summarise a previous post, is because of:
A lack of representation of well-rounded female main characters in children's books and TV shows
Linear representations of main female characters (e.g. as damsels in need of rescue by men)
This then gives way to confidence issues by the time most girls reach primary or elementary school
(More so than boys)
Which manifests into issues such as imposter syndrome by the time that these girls become women
According to Cate Luzio’s Forbes article, “A Missing Factor in Women’s Leadership: Confidence“:
“The constant second guessing and self-reflection on what we [as women] can or cannot do and our fear of self-promotion has a significant impact on our ability to advance our careers”
She also adds that “although there are various factors missing in women’s leadership, [she] would argue that confidence is one of the most pressing”
One of the things that I love about Mahlah and her 4 sisters (Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah), though, is their show of confidence
For example
Do you watch Insecure, sis? If so, then you'll know that one of the overarching themes this season has been feeling a lack of support from the people you most expect it from when you're trying to birth your vision
(e.g. your best friend)
This theme of lack of support is something that we see through Miriam in Numbers 12 too…unfortunately, though, she’s not the hero in this story
When you hear the word “influencer,” sis, what comes to mind?
Is it:
Someone who travels to beautiful countries and takes gorgeous pictures?
Is it someone who has 10.5 million followers on social media and/or their email list?
Is it someone with multiple brand deals?
Is it someone who’s always seen to be rubbing shoulders with mainstream celebrities and/or those within your industry?
If that’s what comes to mind, I can’t say that I blame you, because that is what most people mean when they use the word “influencer” today. Here’s the thing, though-
Despite the images of influence that we’re often bombarded with, it’s actually a huge responsibility
I mean…
The definition of influence tells us so!
For example…
